• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.22 no.1 s.56
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• pp.37-47
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• 2007

Aldehydes are irritants of the upper respiratory tract with symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat. Formaldehyde classified in Group 2A by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and a probable human carcinogen by the Unite States Environmental Protection Agency due to its carcinogenicity. Aldehydes may be emitted from many other consumer products, such as permanent press fabrics, cosmetics, fiberglass insulation, paints, and coatings. The purpose of this study was to examine the does-response relationship between aldehydes levels and symptoms (eyes, nose, throat, and respiratory) for 36 dwellings and 280 households in Korea. As a result, environmental factors affecting aldehydes level were indoor smoking, ventilation, using of carpet, bed, and new furniture, painting for renovation, and indoor humidity. There wat weakly positive correlation between symptom score and aldehydes level.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.530-541
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• 2015

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the prevalence of food allergy, food allergy knowledge, and perception on food allergen labelling along with management of substitute meals in school foodservice in elementary school students in Jeju, South Korea. Methods: Six elementary schools in Jeju-si were randomly selected, and the higher grade elementary school students (n=1,500), from fourth graders to sixth graders, were surveyed using a questionnaire in July 2014. A total of 1,000 responses were used for data analysis. Results: The percentage of students who had experienced food allergy was 16.7%; 26.4% had been diagnosed as having a food allergy by doctors. Milk, crabs, and shrimps were the most frequent allergenic foods with common symptoms including urticaria followed by itching, and vomiting. As the student's grade went up, the knowledge scores on food allergy showed a significant increase. Although students with and without food allergy experience had a similar level of knowledge on food allergy and perception on food allergen labelling, students with food allergy experience had a significantly lower level of healthy dietary practices. Last, only 20.4% of students with food allergies were offered substitute meals by school foodservices, and 30.8% of students received food allergy education. Conclusion: For prevention and management of food allergies in school foodservice, schools should provide an individualized substitute meal plan and food allergy education to students, parents, and teachers.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.330-338
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• 2018

The aims of this study were to investigate the perception of confectionery bakers working in Gyeongnam province for food allergy and to find ways to improve and manage food allergy in confectionery and bakery. The questionnaire was composed of general questions and other questions related to food allergy in confectionery and bakery, and the questionnaires were distributed to the bakers working in Gyeongnam. Sixty nine of 102 confectioneries and bakeries responded to this study, and 60 (87.0%) out of 69 people were aware or had heard about food allergy. However, 54 (78.3%) out of 69 lacked prior education about the management of food allergy. Fifty one (73.9) of 69 people responded that they strongly considered food allergy in the manufacture of the products, but they were not educated about the management of food allergens and symptoms of food allergy. Confectionery bakers were aware about food allergies, but did not label food allergen on the products and have a specific management for food allergens at the work site. Therefore, it is necessary to educate the confectionery bakers about food allergy and to develop and distribute a manage program of food allergens in the field. The result from the present study could be used as basic data for the investigation of awareness for food allergy of confectionery bakers working in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.947-956
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• 2012

This study aims to investigate both general dietary behaviors and clinical symptoms of diet related effects among fifth grade students at an elementary school in Ulsan Metropolitan City, and to categorize those relationships in terms of their comparative differences. The findings of this study are as follows. 1. Out of 694 students polled, 53.7% were of boys and 46.2% were girls with average age of $11.9{\pm}0.3$, average height of $145.1{\pm}6.8cm$, and average weight of $39.7{\pm}9.7kg$. Obesity in boys (5.5%) exceeded girls (3.9%) whereas children categorized as underweight showed girls (14.6%) slightly exceeded boys (10.4%). 2. Dietary behaviors were largely the result of four factors - unbalanced diet, balanced diet, protein and fruits and healthy dietary habits. Of these factors, protein and fruits ($4.04{\pm}1.03$) ranked first, balanced diet ($3.38{\pm}1.04$) second, healthy dietary habits ($3.04{\pm}1.01$) third and unbalanced diet ($2.23{\pm}0.6$) ranked last. 3. When Dietary behaviors were classified with four low ranking factors, they were divided into four types such as convenience (22.4%), good diet (24.7%), busy contemporary modern man (24.3%) and healthy dietary habits (26%). 4. Clinical symptoms include colds ($2.27{\pm}1.15$) followed by headaches ($2.17{\pm}1.19$), stomachaches ($2.16{\pm}1.15$), dizziness ($2.02{\pm}1.15$), atopic allergy ($1.95{\pm}1.30$), prevalence for cold sores ($1.86{\pm}1.07$), allergy ($1.65{\pm}1.05$), and constipation ($1.54{\pm}0.87$). 5. According to the results, clinical symptoms were divided into two groups - unhealthy (40.1%) and healthy (59.9%). 6. By analyzing the relationship between dietary behavior types and clinical symptom types, the convenience factor included slightly more of the unhealthy group (56.3%), whereas the good diet (71.1%), busy contemporary modern person (55.8%) and healthy dietary habits (69.7%) included more of healthy group (p<.001). Since the majority of students belonging to the unhealthy group had convenience dietary behavior, education about desirable dietary activities is needed for these students. In addition, nutrition information and information on possible clinical symptoms caused by nutritional imbalance should be provided for students and their households.

• Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.315-321
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• 2018

Purpose: Radiocontrast media are widely used in medical imaging to improve diagnostic accuracy. However, studies on the adverse reactions of radiocontrast media in children are limited. We aimed to describe the characteristics of adverse reactions to radiocontrast media among children who had a computed tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging in a tertiary university hospital. Methods: We retrospectively collected data on adverse reactions to radiocontrast media by the reporting system of a tertiary university hospital. We selected data from children under the age of 19 from July 2011 to December 2017 and analyzed their characteristics. We focused mainly on the characteristics of the index case which is defined by the first adverse event of each subject. Results: During the period, a total of 88,050 radiocontrast media-enhanced imaging studies were performed and 184 cases of adverse reactions were reported. A total of 71 were identified as index cases. Forty-nine (69.0%) were male and the mean age was $12.7{\pm}3.2$ years. The incidence of radiocontrast media-related adverse reactions was 0.09% and severe reactions were 0.002%. The most common clinical feature was skin manifestations (54.9%), followed by gastrointestinal symptoms (40.8%) and neuropsychiatric symptoms (7.4%). Conclusion: Adverse reactions to radiocontrast media rarely occur in children and the incidence of severe reactions is low. Most reactions are mild and are related to the skin and gastrointestinal system. This report would provide good evidence for establishing a management strategy in children scheduled for imaging studies using radiocontrast media.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.511-518
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• 2010

Exercise-induced anaphylaxis (EIA) is defined as the onset of allergic symptoms during, or immediately after, exercise, the clinical signs being various degrees of urticaria, angioedema, respiratory and gastrointestinal signs, and even anaphylactic shock. Food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA) is a specific variant of exercise-induced anaphylaxis that requires both vigorous physical activity and the ingestion of specific foods within the preceding several hours. To describe the physiopathologic mechanism, etiologic factors, and clinical manifestations, we evaluated the supplementation of vitamin C and catalase on spleen index, proliferation assay, ROS, and ASAS in sensitized and exercise trained mice. The results were as follows: Spleen index showed the highest level in the ST12 group compared to other groups; this level increased in a time dependent manner and in significant amounts. In proliferation assay of Med and OVA, the ST12 group showed the highest level compared to other groups; this level also increased in a time dependent manner. On the other hand, spleen ROS did not show a statistically significant difference, and peritoneal ROS showed the highest level in the ST12 group. ASAS showed the highest level in the ST12 compared to the S; this was also in a time dependent manner and in significant amounts. From the results, we chose the ST9 and ST12 groups to evaluate allergy anaphylaxis with supplementation of Vitamin C and catalase. In both the ST9 and ST12 groups, peritoneal ROS and ASAS were lower in vitamin C treatment group than in the catalase treatment group. This was a statistically significant difference. From the results, allergy anaphylaxis showed a higher level in the long trained group than in the short trained group. Also, treatment with vitamin C was more effective in lowering allergy anaphylaxis than catalase treatment.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.84 no.2
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• pp.96-104
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• 2021

Background: Many chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients receiving monotherapy continue to experience symptoms, exacerbations and poor quality of life. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of direct switch from once-daily tiotropium (TIO) 18 ㎍ to indacaterol/glycopyrronium (IND/GLY) 110/50 ㎍ once daily in COPD patients in Korea. Methods: This was a randomized, open-label, parallel group, 12-week trial in mild-to-moderate COPD patients who received TIO 18 ㎍ once daily for ≥12 weeks prior to study initiation. Patients aged ≥40 years, with predicted post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) ≥50%, post-bronchodilator FEV₁/forced vital capacity <0.7 and smoking history of ≥10 pack-years were included. Eligible patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either IND/GLY or TIO. The primary objective was to demonstrate superiority of IND/GLY over TIO in pre-dose trough FEV₁ at week 12. Secondary endpoints included transition dyspnea index (TDI) focal score, COPD assessment test (CAT) total score, and rescue medication use following the 12-week treatment, and safety assessment. Results: Of the 442 patients screened, 379 were randomized and 347 completed the study. IND/GLY demonstrated superiority in pre-dose trough FEV₁ versus TIO at week 12 (least squares mean treatment difference [Δ], 50 mL; p=0.013). Also, numerical improvements were observed with IND/GLY in the TDI focal score (Δ, 0.31), CAT total score (Δ, -0.81), and rescue medication use (Δ, -0.09 puffs/day). Both treatments were well tolerated by patients. Conclusion: A direct switch from TIO to IND/GLY provided improvements in lung function and other patient-reported outcomes with an acceptable safety profile in patients with mild-to-moderate airflow limitation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.664-678
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• 2021

Purpose: Food allergies in children are known to impact the quality of life for growing children as well as their parents. This study investigates the status of food allergy and its management among preschoolers, and evaluates the effect on parental burden. Methods: In May 2019, five kindergartens and daycare centers in Jeju area were randomly selected, and parents (n = 638) who had preschoolers younger than 6-year-old were surveyed using a questionnaire. A total of 387 participants were included in the final data analysis. Results: The percentage of children (aged 3 to 6 years old) who experienced food allergies was 16.8%; 44.6% had been diagnosed as having a food allergy by doctors. Food allergies were first experienced in more than two-thirds of the subjects when they were less than a year old. Egg and milk were the most frequent allergenic foods with some skin related symptoms. A mere 15.4% children suffering from food allergies were offered substitutes for their allergenic foods. Lastly, as compared to other parents, the parents of children who experienced food allergies had not only higher nutritional knowledge, but also heavier parental burden including emotional distress. Regardless of their nutritional knowledge, parents of children with food allergy expressed their willingness to attend nutrition education classes, if available in future. Conclusion: For prevention of food allergies and proper nourishment of children with food allergies, there is a necessity to provide customized-nutritional education for the affected parents to help alleviate their parental burden, especially for reducing emotional distress.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 2001

The chicken meat has been reported as one of the food causing allergic reactions predominantly to Korean. At present, several in vitro tests for immunoglobulinG (IgG)-mediated as well as IgE-mediated food allergy are available. 13 clinically chicken meat-allergic patients were investigated together with 4control subjects for identification of chicken meat-specific reactivity by ELISA. Also, protein profile and IgE, IgGtotal and IgG4-reacting allergens were detected by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis (SDS-PAGE)and immunoblotting. Chicken meat extracts were prepared as raw, heated, heat and simulated gastric fluid (SGF) treated samples to characterize the stability of allergen to physicochemical treatment. SDS-PAGE revealed 9~200 kDa bands. And in immunoblotting 7 sera were identified most major bands between 10 and 78 kDa. In case of IgE, six proteins (17, 26, 35, 40, 78 kDa) were predominant in heat-treated extract, and the one (35 kDa) was present in SGF-treated preparations. In case of IgG$_{total}$ and IgG4, most of them showed a patters simmilar to IgE. There were significant differences (P<0.05) in IgE, IgG$_{total}$ , IgG4 Abs to chicken meat between the allergic and control subjects in ELISA. In addition, the concentration of IgG4Abs in the challenge-positive subjects was significantly higher than that of control subjects. It is considered that the specific IgE response to chicken meat was rarely prevalent to Koreans. However, the specific IgG4 response play an important role in the development of allergic symptoms.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.823-830
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• 2023

Lactococcus lactis is a lactic acid bacterium and used in the dairy food industry. The ameliorating effects of Lactobacillus species on atopic dermatitis (AD) have been extensively studied, but the specific effect of L. lactis strains has not yet been investigated. In this study, the efficacy of L. lactis LB 1022, isolated from natural cheese, was evaluated using RAW 264.7, HMC-1 and HaCaT cell lines and an ovalbumin-sensitized AD mouse model. L. lactis LB 1022 exhibited nitric oxide suppression and anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. Oral administration of L. lactis LB 1022 to AD mice significantly reduced the levels of IgE, mast cells, and eosinophils, and a range of T cell-mediated T helper Th1, Th2, and Th17-type cytokines under interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). In addition, L. lactis LB 1022 treatment increased the concentration of short-chain fatty acids. Overall, L. lactis LB 1022 significantly modulated AD-like symptoms by altering metabolites and the immune response, illustrating its potential as candidate for use in functional food supplements to alleviate AD.